1st Semi-Annual /Annual Report: Feed the Future East Africa-Climate Smart Agribusiness Investment Activity

The project aligns with the Feed the Future objectives of inclusive and sustainable agricultural-led economic growth, strengthened resilience among people and systems, and a well-nourished population, especially among women and children. The project has three specific objectives: creating an enabling environment for investment in climate-smart agriculture, incubating innovative, climate-smart and inclusive agriculture businesses in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda, and accelerating deployment of private capital into scalable climate-smart agriculture businesses. The project utilizes a strategy that relies on targeted support to promising businesses and active engagement with key public and private actors in the agricultural investment system. The project will identify and address important barriers that limit investment and expertise into climate-smart agriculture in three priority countries: Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda. The project will incubate climate-smart innovations and develop scalable investments, supporting these activities through analysis, training, public-private dialogue, and strategic partnerships. The project will work in tandem with focal country missions, USAID/Washington offices, national governments, and international donor initiatives to build its activities on previous lessons learned around policy environments, climate-smart agriculture, and business incubation. The project has a phased approach for rolling out activities in the three target countries over the next two years. Phase 1 will cover the first year, focusing primarily on Kenya, with some activities under Work Package 1 and 3 in Ethiopia carried out simultaneously. Phase 2 will cover the second year and will mark the full expansion into Ethiopia and the rollout of initial activities in Uganda. During the initial mobilization period from July 19th to September 30th 2016, the project achieved several key milestones. The Work Plan for year one ending September 30th 2017 was finalized and adopted. The first draft of the Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (M&E Plan) was submitted to the USAID AOR Office, which recommended some amendments. The Consortium members initiated conversations with key investors and CSA businesses in order to build pipelines on both sides. The project also established its project management procedures, including hiring staff, financial and technical setup, and planning. The SNV-Kenya team is fully mobilized to commence working on the project, with Mr. Mehrdad Ehsani, the Project Director, providing technical guidance and management oversight to the rest of the team. The UNIQUE team is also mobilized, with in-house staff and closely associated consultants who will be rapidly mobilized once the implementation starts. The project has also established the Project Steering Committee, with proposed members including Mehrdad Ehsani, SNV, Duncan Gromko, Unique, Simon Koenig, Climate Focus, Curt Reintsma, USAID, and a private sector representative to be confirmed. The Team has had several Skype meetings and will hold the first physical meeting in Nairobi in October 2016. The project has finalized the 2nd draft of the Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP) and plans to submit it by early November 2016. The Consortium has familiarized itself with the Global Climate Change (GCC) and Feed the Future indicators for incorporation in the PMP. Two team members listened to the Feed the Future Monitoring System webinar that took place on September 29th and are in the process of being registered into the System.